Page 16 of A Necessary Wife

His gaze fell to her belly and lingered there a moment. It would be weeks until he discovered if they were successful. Until then, well…there could be other nights spent with Amelia in his arms.

“That is very good of you to help with your brother,” Amelia was saying.

Milo shrugged away thoughts of the future. “Well, I was much involved with my younger sister during her childhood,” he admitted.

“And also, your own children?” she suggested.

Milo colored a little. “I am ashamed to say my children have had more care from servants and others than from me of late. And their mother…”

“Their mother?” Amelia queried, when he paused too long.

“…treated them like dolls, trotting them out to entertain her close friends and then sending them away when they made a little noise.”

“Ah, I see,” Amelia winced.

“You will not be like that with them,” he said, certain she would never be cruel to innocents after all she’d been through, but determined to make his wishes clear.

Amelia nodded and put her hand on his arm. “It is my dearest wish to become their friend. It will take time for them to become accustomed to me.”

“I expect so,” he answered, arrested by the weight of her hand upon him. They had not touched often, and last night in his bed had been the closest they’d ever been to each other.

It was disconcerting how good even a light touch felt in the light of day. How much he craved more from her. He should have undressed and spent the whole night taking care of her needs.

Her touch was distracting, and it wasn’t enough. Did she know that? He met her gaze warily but there seemed to be no calculation in her actions, nor had there been last night, either, he supposed, when she’d seduced him. She had just wanted to become a wife in truth.

He covered her hand with his and pressed down, holding her firmly against his arm. A smile appeared on her lips, and he exhaled, relieved that he might be forgiven for his odd behavior last night. He stepped back before he stole another kiss from her. “Have you taken breakfast this morning?”

“No. I slipped away from your room quite early, even before a maid could arrive. I always start my day like this.” She glanced around and sighed. “At home, I would already be at work in the garden, but I dare not touch anything here without asking.”

He gulped. That was definitely not a request she should make to Father just yet. There was no telling how the duke would answer in his current state of mind. Milo had never known father to be so angry with him either. “Well, then, perhaps you would care to join me in the morning room, and we’ll take breakfast together with His Grace. You’ll be introduced to my father’s friends as they come down. It won’t be so overwhelming that way. They are all here for a few weeks, I’m afraid.”

She nodded. “I should like to meet them very much, and your father and the duchess, too. But what of Lucy and Adam? Can they join us for breakfast?”

“I’m not sure they haven’t eaten already. They can wait a while longer to meet you.”

“I should like to meet them now,” she said firmly. “I intend to be a constant presence in their life, not a constant stranger.”

He hid a smile. Children had been the only reason Amelia had agreed to marry him. He was still impressed by that. She hadn’t chosen him for any other reason. “You can see them now, but I must warn you that Adam can be quite boisterous in the early morning and may have swayed the maid to feed him early.”

“It is the nature of children to seek what they need. Even if he has eaten, he should still join us. He might be hungry again. Boys often are.”

Milo looked at her in surprise. “You are remarkably well-versed in the peculiarities of young boys, much more so than I imagined you would be…considering.”

“Considering I’m a pariah in my family,” she murmured with a wry twist of her lips.

Milo was shocked that she would believe such a thing about herself, or say so. “If you ever were, you are not now,” he promised. “You are the Countess of Chatham, and everyone will respect you.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Amelia giggled. “Oh, my dear husband you are kind. Marriage will wipe away the stain of a scandal in society’s eyes no doubt, but I most definitely know that I am still one,” she replied.

Amelia was no fool. She knew what society said about her when they thought she couldn’t hear. She had relatives who delighted in telling her the worst of the gossip. She had been labeled a brazen hussy for forcing a proposal from her one-time beau, and her sister had fueled that belief to explain her own desperate flight to Gretna Green, which made her betrayal of Amelia—and marriage to Amelia’s beau—acceptable to their family.

“The scandal was a long time ago,” he insisted.

“Five years in the wilderness taught me who my real friends were,” she said, and then squared her shoulders. “I have spent a great deal of time trying to forget by helping my brother and his tenants. I thought helping those in need on Anthony’s estate would prove my usefulness and virtue and be welcomed back into the fold. But I came to enjoy a simpler life instead. There was always so much I could do for the tenants, and I could almost forget the betrayal ever happened. But my good deeds changed nothing for them, I’m sure.”

Chatham caught hold of her hand and squeezed her fingers. “I think you exceeded expectations. You will make Adam and Lucy a fine mother.”